11

Self-Portraits

I’ve been asked many times why I paint self-portraits. The truth is that it kind of happened on its own. I’ve always loved figurative drawing and painting and when I found myself home alone with a new baby I used myself as a model out of convenience. I was sneaking in my painting time at odd and inconsistent hours, early in the morning or late at night. As I worked, I found that my goal was less about recreating exactly what I looked like and more a record of an emotion or situation. Now that I’ve been working this way for ten years I can see a timeline of my life and my development as an artist. It’s been suggested to me that maybe I use a different model, but to me that would feel insincere. Through painting, I am telling my story and I can only honestly paint my experience. In fifty years I’ll be able to look back through my work and watch my life develop and my wings unfold.